Wheelchairs are typically designed to transport a sitting person and so-called companion chairs are a lighter-duty mechanism having a similar operating purpose. Accordingly, both wheelchairs and companion chairs typically have leg riggings to support the transportee's lower appendages above the ground. By way of contrast, rolling walkers are a walking aid and hence lack such leg riggings. That said, some rolling walkers include a seat. This seat provides the user with a place to sit when that need arises (for example, when the user needs a break from standing or walking).
The basic design for a rolling walker is well established; a frame having four ground-contacting wheels and a pair of handles that the user can grip when walking with the aid of the rolling walker. Unfortunately, these deceptively simple design concepts are not always implemented in a fashion that well suits the needs of the expected user population. The rolling walker user population represents a wide variety of usage patterns, lifestyles, differently-sized and proportioned users, and operating environments. Some users, for example, may only utilize their rollator on an occasional basis while other users may need to frequently transport their rollators in a vehicle and more aggressively use their rollators in a variety of application settings.
Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present teachings. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present teachings. Certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. The terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.